CHAPTER 10: GARDEN GNOMES AND FORBIDDEN KISSES

Tonks told them about the places they had been, from Hogsmeade to London, Liverpool, etc. The only thing these places had in common was that they were all at a certain distance from each other, allowing them to rest a bit before moving on. She explained the scene of Mad-Eye Moody searching their belongings and the expression on his face when he had to do it with her underwear. Imagining the face of the old Auror looking at those garments he didn't recognize made them burst into laughter. Mr. Weasley dropped his newspaper and almost spilled his tea. Mrs. Weasley tried to disguise her laughter while threatening her children not to laugh. Ron almost choked on the pancakes he was eating at that moment; Hermione had to hit him on the back until he could swallow them.

The twins hugged each other, unable to stop laughing; it was too much even for them.

"After Mad-Eye convinced himself, we could return to Grimmauld Place." She looked at Harry. "I owed him breakfast, so I came here. The rest, you already know."

After breakfast, Harry went for a walk with Tonks. As soon as they were alone, the last thing they did was talk; they couldn't stop kissing. They wanted to make up for all the lost time.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"Really?" She smiled mischievously while playing with his hair.

"I swear if you had taken one more day to come back, I would have gone out to look for you."

"Harry, you promised no more craziness."

"I know, I know, but knowing that you were in danger, and I couldn't do anything was driving me crazy."

"Relax, everything is fine. Don't think about it anymore, and let's enjoy this wonderful day."

They joined in another passionate kiss full of love and happiness.

Someone came out to find them; it was Ron and Hermione. They wanted to talk to both of them.

"Harry, Tonks, we want to talk to you."

They both looked at them.

"About what?"

"You know what," the brunette said. "Have you told Tonks about our mission?"

He understood perfectly what they were referring to and agreed that he should tell his partner everything, including the details about the prophecy.

"Yes, I agree, but it's better if we do it in your room." He stood up, took Tonks by the hand, and she followed him. The four entered the house and went up to the redhead's room. Ginny saw them pass and joined the group. Although her brother didn't want to let her in, Harry convinced him to open the door. After all, she knew almost everything.

She sat on the bed in front of Tonks, took her hands, and began to speak.

"Nym, I have to tell you a couple of things. You're what I love the most, and I don't want to start a relationship with lies and secrets."

"I don't like the tone you're using. I'm worried."

"I understand, believe me, when you know, you'll understand many things. Do you remember the prophecy that Voldemort tried to steal at the Ministry?" Everyone but them shivered.

"Yes, the one that broke."

"I know what it said." He paused. "Basically, it says that I must kill Voldemort or he will kill me. Both of us can't live at the same time." Both Tonks and Ginny were amazed and worried.

"Are you lying to me? I don't believe you." She looked very worried.

"Do you think I would lie to you about something like this? Dumbledore told me the same day he found out since it was he to whom the prophecy was revealed. That's why he keeps attacking me. He knows that I am the boy referred to, but he doesn't know what it means. That's our only advantage." He smiled sadly. "The funniest thing is that I couldn't be the Boy Who Lived." Everyone looked at him. "There could have been another one chosen. It was Voldemort himself who marked me as his equal." He pointed to the scar.

None of them knew this detail.

"Harry, do you know who the other boy is?" Ginny asked.

"Neville Longbottom. He meets all the requirements of the prophecy, only he wasn't marked like me."

"Then Neville could be the chosen one?" Tonks wanted to know.

"No, as I said, he had to be marked by Voldemort." Everyone shivered. "And that was done to me."

"Harry, don't say his name, please," Ron asked. "You know we don't like it."

"It's just a name; if you're afraid of his name, you wouldn't last a second in front of him. You must overcome it."

"We know, but it's hard. We've lived with his terror all our lives, and forgetting it is difficult." Ginny added.

"So, does that mean you have to kill him before he kills you?"

Basically, it's that, but it's more complicated. He's always sought a way to become immortal, leading him to practice forbidden spells."

"Yes, we know he has always practiced dark magic, but he has never succeeded."

"Tonks, in a way, he did succeed. Do you know what Horcruxes are?" She thought about it before denying it. "It's normal; it's something strictly forbidden due to what its realization entails. The Horcrux is magic that allows, through a terribly cruel act, to separate a piece of the wizard's soul from him." She now understood many things. "He did it, that's why I couldn't kill him when I was a child. The worst part is that he did it several times, so his soul is divided into seven parts."

"But that means that until you destroy those parts, you won't be able to finish him." She had a frightened look on her face. "Harry..." She hugged him with desperation and fear.

"Two pieces have already been destroyed, one was the diary that almost killed Ginny." Tonks looked at her. "And the other was a ring that Dumbledore destroyed. We believe the rest are a cup of Helga Hufflepuff, some relic of Rowena Ravenclaw, a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin, and Dumbledore believed another was Nagini, the snake that always accompanies him. The last one is Voldemort himself. The night Dumbledore died, we were coming from searching for one of the Horcruxes, but someone had beaten us to it, so we weakened him in vain." Sadness was reflected on the boy's face as he took the locket out of his pocket. "We'll find this; inside was this note."

The young Auror copied the pendant and looked at it; it didn't seem special or valuable. Then she read the note.

"Who is R.A.B.?"

"That's the problem; none of us knows who it could be, and Dumbledore didn't know either. The idea is to get to Hogwarts and search the library for any reference to him. We want you to help us."

"How?"

"You can consult books that are forbidden to us; that way, we might find out something about him or some of the remaining Horcruxes."

"Understood perfectly what the guys were aiming for, knew it was a titanic task for them."

"I'll help you, but wouldn't it be better to ask for help from the Order of the Phoenix?"

"I don't think it's safe. They could capture someone, and he would know what we're looking for. Remember, he's a master Legilimens! It's better that we handle this until we can't anymore. Then, we'll ask for help, I assure you."

"At Hogwarts, you'll be watched all the time, and Professor McGonagall won't give me much space to move. We'll need more help."

"We have Dumbledore's Army and several house-elves."

"Is it a good idea to involve them?"

"We won't tell the kids anything more than they need to know. Most of them are trustworthy, having suffered because of him and his followers in one way or another. The house-elves are Dobby, who holds great affection for me, and Kreacher, who owes me obedience. I'm sorry, Hermione," he said, looking at his friend. Her stance on house-elves was widely known. "I won't put any of them in danger. I assure you."

Tonks pondered for a while.

"For now, it seems sufficient. But if things go awry or exceed our capabilities, we'll ask for help," Harry and everyone else nodded. He approached the boy and held his face in his hands. "Since when have you been enduring all this?"

"Since Sirius's death."

"Besides the nightmares?" This made him think.

"It's been a while since I dreamt about him. It's as if my mind closed off to the outside world."

Tonks smiled, satisfied. Something had been nagging at her for a while, but given all that had happened, she hadn't given it much thought.

"The first time you went to Dumbledore's office, what exactly did you do?"

"We just delved into a Ministry worker's memories. I wanted to learn more about He Who Must Not Be Named."

"Did he have his wand in hand?"

He thought for a moment. "I think he did. Why do you ask?"

"He could perform very ancient magic. It's just a supposition, but I believe he cast a spell on you so that nothing and no one could enter your mind. He created a space in your mind separate from the rest, isolated it, and only He Who Must Not Be Named can enter that place. For him, the rest of your head is as if it doesn't exist," she paused briefly. "That's why you don't dream about him. He sees nothing and thinks you're shattered, so he doesn't persist."

"But the scar..."

"If it hurts, it's because it's something different, a connection with He Who Must Not Be Named, something that can't be severed easily, only diminished. If it hurts, it means he's near or you're sensing his mood. But I think he altered that too. Don't ask me how because I have no idea, but it's certain that it will help you in your confrontation."

He recalled that every time he faced him, the pain from the scar was unbearable. If this pain was less, he might be able to act by analyzing his actions.

Everyone was amazed by the young woman's intelligence. Hermione looked at her, puzzled. How could the girl who was always joking or absent-minded be so intelligent without anyone noticing?

"Where did you gather all this information from?" she asked, surprised.

"Hermione, I'm an Auror and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Although Dumbledore didn't tell us many things, I have my ways of finding out. Besides, I was a top student for a reason. It's just that I tend to get distracted more than I'd like."

"Since you've been here, you haven't," Ginny said. "In fact, every time you visited or came with someone from the Order, you'd break or knock something over," she thought for a moment. "And so far, you haven't done any of that."

Tonks looked at Harry. He realized it was true. Even she hadn't.

"Ginny, I don't know what to say. What you're saying is true, but I don't know why."

"I do," Hermione said with a smile. "Ginny, have you noticed that your brother has changed his habits a bit?" She pointed at Ron.

The redhead pondered. Since they returned from Hogwarts, she hadn't spoken much with her brother. He was like her, somewhat sad all day. Although his room was tidier, she caught him reading a book more than once.

"It's true, he tidies his room and reads books. He's a bit like... you," she pointed at the brunette.

Hermione felt satisfied and looked at her boyfriend, who smiled at her.

"Sometimes we pick up habits from our partners to please them. Even our character and way of thinking can change," she said to everyone. "I think that's what happened to Harry and Tonks. Since they've been together, he's happier and more cheerful, seems more determined than ever to end this. And Tonks is more focused and content than last year. Have you noticed she doesn't have her hair pink?" They all looked at her, and she blushed.

"It's dark and straight," Ron said.

"It's her natural hair, and I like it better this way," added Harry. He approached Tonks and kissed her.

"This confirms my theory," Hermione concluded.

They went downstairs shortly after to help Mrs. Weasley with household chores before lunch.

Harry and Tonks cleaned together. Occasionally, she'd flick a cushion with her wand, he'd send it back, and soon they'd be chasing each other around the room until he caught her. It always ended with a series of kisses, only to start again, except now it was him throwing the cushion at her.

Ron and Hermione didn't seem to enjoy themselves as much. Hermione watched her boyfriend make sure all the tasks were done properly, something that didn't bother him much. But his sister made it her job to annoy him, causing arguments with Hermione. Although she enjoyed that since making up was the best part.

Every time they kissed, Ginny would leave the room not to witness them. The problem was that Harry and Tonks were in the same situation in the other room.

In the end, she couldn't take it anymore. She went downstairs and entered the kitchen where her mother was.

"I can't stand it. As soon as I turn around, they're kissing," she sat on a chair. "They have no consideration for others."

Her mother turned and looked at her amusedly.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure you'll find a boyfriend soon too," she said, leaving the kitchen.

"MOM!"

Mrs. Weasley went upstairs. As soon as she entered, she caught Harry hugging Tonks while she stroked his hair. They were being affectionate and hadn't noticed her presence.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat.

They separated and started moving things around.

"Molly, how are you?" he looked at her, smiling.

"Enough with the cuddling and focus on the task," she heard laughter from the other room, so she went out and entered through the hallway door, then into the next room where Ron and Hermione were.

The two were lying on the bed, kissing quietly when she entered. Part of her was glad, but she wouldn't allow her son to overstep boundaries with the girl, especially in her house. He owed her respect.

"Ronald Weasley, what do you think you're doing?" She stood up and ran in the direction of the room where Harry and Tonks were.

She was lucky those rooms had the small connecting door; otherwise, she couldn't have escaped her mother.

Hermione didn't know what to do or say, so she chose to lower her head and endure whatever was to come.

Ron glanced at Harry as he passed, looked at them, and without stopping, spoke to him.

"Why didn't you warn me?"

Harry saw him pass with part of his robe open. He couldn't respond, but he knew what had happened and why he was fleeing.

Mrs. Weasley approached the girl, who remained with her head lowered, her robe was open, and part of her bra was visible, which caught the mother's attention.

"How is this possible? At least you could have hidden a bit," the girl looked at her in surprise. Ron's mother smiled at her. "I know you love each other and that you want to show it. But at least don't let anyone see you." She left the girl without knowing what to say. When she reacted, she apologized as best she could.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean for this to get out of control, but..."

"She looked at the girl and smiled; she was the only one capable of reigning in her son. She thought the girl was ideal for him, but she'd have to learn a few tricks from a Weasley woman to handle Ron."

"I know what you mean, and I trust you completely, Hermione. I know you're responsible enough for both of you. That's why I appreciate you so much," she turned and prepared to leave the room. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to discipline Ron."

"But I thought you weren't angry with him," she said, puzzled.

"Don't get it wrong. Just because I accept your relationship doesn't mean I liked seeing Ron as I did a moment ago. He'll have to face his punishment. Not in my house!"

She left the girl surprised and went downstairs to find her son. She found him in the kitchen arguing with his sister. With a signal, she dismissed Ginny and looked at Ron. He swallowed nervously, not daring to say anything.

His mother quickly put an end to the argument.

"You're going to de-gnome the garden by yourself, and if I catch you with Hermione again, inside my house, as you were, I guarantee you won't feel like repeating it! If you want to play with your wand, it won't be under my roof," she said, pointing at her son's groin. "You know I give you freedoms, but only to a certain extent!"

"Mum, you know that I... Hermione is responsible enough for... she's responsible for both of us, and she would never..." His mother looked at him in a way he didn't like.

"RONALD WEASLEY, THE GARDEN IS WAITING FOR YOU!"

He ran off to the garden, knowing he didn't want to play games with his mother. For the future, he'd have to figure out how to spend time with his girlfriend, and it definitely wouldn't be at home. He wouldn't survive if his mother caught him with Hermione again.

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